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Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Lessons From a Book

This is no secret...I love books! I especially love the evidence they leave behind that they once existed in our world, even if just for a moment.

Like many of you, I have bookcases in my little nook of our
home, and it’s crammed full of books on—I’d bet—every topic under the sun. The other day I was sitting at my desk, daydreaming.
Actually, I was probably stalling…when my gaze wandered around the room and
landed on a title that made me smile.

And that gave me an idea. Brace yourselves. :)

Here are five highly valuable life lessons I
learned through the years from random books on my shelves.

Lesson 1: Look before you leap. Book: Small-Scale
Livestock Farming.

I don’t believe I ever read this book from cover to cover,
but I sure do remember the summer I was determined to convince my husband that selling our home and buying some acreage so I could play farm girl was the way to go. I was going to
need the perfect Green Gables farm house, of course…I operate much of the time on impulse
and very little follow through. Thankfully, my husband is the exact opposite and keeps me quite grounded.

I vividly remember asking my sister to get me this book
for Christmas after I got married in 2004. She obliged and I happily opened the crisp
pages of Ms. Martha’s 10 pound tome. Oddly, as I look at it now, those pages
are just as crisp almost 10 years later. Hmm. I’m pretty sure it’s okay if you stack
your woodpile in a manner not recommended by Ms. Martha.

Marriage stinks sometimes. (I've said this many times before.) It’s a fact of life. In an effort to invest in our relationship a few years ago, Chris and I went to one of these Weekends-to-Remember. And boy do I remember it! We fought the entire weekend...instead of learning,
growing and building with one another. But as my homework guide stares at me all these years
later, it also reminds me that we laughed our heads off on the drive home
from that conference. Not that it wasn't a helpful or well-planned event, but
the cheese-factor was through the roof. And if I’m honest, Chris and I just don’t
respond well to homework involving love poems. We're just not classy like that.

I can’t really put my finger on whether or not I
liked high school. It was fine I guess. I learned stuff. I met some people. But
really I was just counting down the days for it to be over so I could find
Prince Charming and have lots of babies. (Before you think I’m crazy, read this post.) Needless to say, my Bible offered a safe place and Truth
like no other book can.

Lesson 5: God has plans for me, and they may differ from my own. Book: Field
Guide for North American Birds.

Okay, don’t laugh. I really do own this book
and not because I’m a bird lover by any means. Way back when my eldest child
was in utero, I had big homeschooling dreams. Contrary to my ever social
husband. But I was convinced that God gave me my mom-passion for a reason and
it must be to have my kids around constantly. So I slowly began to accumulate
schooling items and books. We have more puzzles of African countries then I
know what to do with. Almost eight years and three kids in school later, I’m
still not homeschooling, and while that feels at times disappointing to my
mom-heart, I know He has something else out there for me.

Share with me: What random books do you have on your shelves?
And what life lessons have those books or those phases of your life taught you?

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So glad you decided to stop by. My name is Lacie. I am a stay-at-home mom with three children under the age of six. I like to think I have it all together but the truth is: I don't. I am a work in progress striving to become more of who God has called me to be, more of what my husband needs, more of the mom I wish I was. If I'm able to accomplish all of that, I dream of being a published author. My blog is a place where I share my thoughts and struggles along the way. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to encourage you on your journey as well. I hope you'll chime in and leave a comment if something strikes you as interesting...or just to say hi!